Subject: Re: lib/33569 (systrace.h is not bundled with NetBSD distribution)
To: None <gnats-bugs@NetBSD.org>
From: Jaromir Dolecek <jdolecek@NetBSD.org>
List: netbsd-bugs
Date: 05/28/2006 18:41:41
--/9DWx/yDrRhgMJTb
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Disposition: inline
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

On Sun, May 28, 2006 at 04:35:01PM +0000, Kristaps Johnson wrote:
>  I concur.  Further, if systrace.h shan't be bundled, the systrace.4 manu=
al=20

systrace.4 describes kernel device driver, so references headers aren't
necessarily usable by userland. This is true for all section 4 and
section 9 manual pages.

>  page should be modified, as it refers to nonexistent entities (the heade=
r=20
>  file is not explicitly mentioned, but structures, macros & ioctl values=
=20
>  are invalid).  Ergo the systrace device has a closed interface (restrict=
ed=20
>  to systrace.1).  This doesn't seem correct to me; the manual page refers=
=20
>  to /dev/systrace for "userland processes, such as systrace(1)".  But the=
=20
>  device's API is currently unavailable.  Is there a reason for not exposi=
ng=20
>  it?  If, for instance, there are security issues with systrace.h, why is=
=20
>  the device still being exported, and why is systrace.1 compiling with it?

It's not matter of security issue, but backward compatibility - once
it's exposed to userland, special care must be taken on each update
to the functionality.

I'd say that if Niels Provos agrees with exposing the interface
to userland, it's just fine to export the header.

Jaromir
--=20
Jaromir Dolecek <jdolecek@NetBSD.org>            http://www.NetBSD.cz/
-=3D- We can walk our road together if our goals are all the same;     -=3D-
-=3D- We can run alone and free if we pursue a different aim.          -=3D-

--/9DWx/yDrRhgMJTb
Content-Type: application/pgp-signature
Content-Disposition: inline

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
Version: PGPfreeware 5.0i for non-commercial use
MessageID: 9y0kBvd1l5ihG/eZYRD//i9KqafkMdzL

iQCVAwUBRHnSwrZjOQfIPRaZAQF3GAP/X5nGWZO5Ugrqdl2lbHGaBGKffVw8F4S1
zEXMzc7GLTWd2KelNLTviDT0oGdPE+CJU0Tq5PfzSW/NsnGd/cAwwrMnrVRhzzxu
+3SI82+Dtijw9eUOn5mDAw7IWm+kX1BVmS67xDeC7k3zSdhzHRQ27pz5l8bEl4U6
ojjQdcxVDi8=
=p5UH
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

--/9DWx/yDrRhgMJTb--